


the Wrong Path to Right

by somestrongsaeki



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 20:11:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3542318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somestrongsaeki/pseuds/somestrongsaeki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In high school, Niou is forced to change schools to Seigaku (where he, Eiji and Fuji became best friends). This story is set in University. He's never spoken about why he changed schools, but it's all coming back now. It should be a Yukimura/Niou kind of thing, but there seems to be a lot more Niou/Eiji ... well, guess that's how it is. There's some gratuitous smut thus the rating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Partners

"I'm surprised you continued to play tennis, Fuji-kun," the taller young man smiled as he extended his hand. The bandages he had worn for as long as the other man could remember dangled haphazardly from his elbow.

Fuji Syuusuke took the peace offering, and smiled, "Hn, it would be a shame not to try, ne Shiraishi?"

The other grinned, "I'm glad you remember me." He unconsciously re-wrapped a loose strip of material and pushed his hair from his face.

The other man blinked suddenly, ever present smile falling slightly, "What makes you think I would forget you?"

With that, Shiraishi laughed out loud. He stood a few centimeters above Fuji-- not surprising since he'd always been quite tall. He had thickened since Fuji had seen him last. His chest wasn't much broader than the genius' own, but his arms and shoulders were more muscular than Fuji remembered. Other than that, he looked the same as always, with the exception of a new hair style. It was cut shorter and combed forward; it look a bit wild.

Shiraishi grasped his old friend's shoulder.

"It's good to see a friendly face. Let's do our best then."

He bowed slightly and with a wave, he excused himself for a meeting with their new coach.

Fuji returned to the bench where he had been sitting and began to put on his tennis shoes.

Around him, the sounds of the open court session had increased as more and more of the new recruits showed up. The balls echoed in the huge fieldhouse.

His mind wandered to the young man he'd just spoken with. It had been over a year since he had thought about him. That was the last match they played against one another in high school. It was during the national tournament. Since they were in different regions, that was their only chance to face one another. Well, their teams played against each other, but they hadn't been matched up since middle school.

"I guess I'll finally get that rematch," the young man mumbled to himself.

"Against who?" the deep voice made Fuji almost jump out of his seat-- not visibly, but metaphorically. He recognized the owner instantly and continued tying his shoes, not bothering to look up.

His new compatriot sat down next to him and the bench and threw his bag next to the bench.

"Hn, Niou-kun. It's good of you to show up."

The other man leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. The green of his eyes was hidden as he closed them, relaxing. His silver hair was held in a sloppy bun behind his head and a light layer of scruff graced his cheeks. A small black ring moved back and forth in is lip. He stretched with a groan and a smirk, then turned to look towards Fuji.

"Yeah, it is," his eyes flicked around at the fieldhouse, analyzing the other players and continued, "Partners?"

"Of course."

They had played their last year of high school as doubles one when Niou had inexplicably decided to change schools.

 

_The midterm exam had just finished the day before, so most of the students felt relaxed. Fuji himself was slowly drifting off under his lidded eyes. It hadn't been a very eventful morning. Then he showed up._

_"Niou-kun," Eiji said almost falling out of his seat, "What are you doing at Seigaku?"_

_With that, the genius opened his eyes, actually surprised. The former Rikkaidai trickster just shrugged, smirked and slipped into the seat next to Fuji._

_"Welcome to Class C," the tensai smiled._

_Niou gave a real smile, put in a headphone and said, "Puri."_

Somehow Eiji and Fuji were always in the same class, which was fine since they were practically best friends. The class welcomed him easily enough- half of the boys were intimidated and half the girls were in love, but he always declined invitations to hang out after school. That is, except from Fuji.

_Despite refusing to be on the tennis team, Niou often went with Fuji and Eiji to the street courts._

_The second time they went, Niou didn't look at Fuji, but simply asked, "Partners?"_

_Fuji was taken back. Eji raised his eyebrows._

_The trickster had been playing singles since the U-17 camp. He was good. He was better than good. He had become one of the best. But he was asking. And for some reason, the only thought that came to Fuji's mind was yes._

_They made an amazing team._

The coach found out they had been playing on the street court together and had tried without success to get Niou to join the team.

_They had been outside of the school in Eiji's favorite spot. He had brought a blunt as it was the only thing that really helped his ADD. He took out the lighter Fuji had given him for his birthday and lit it. The acrobat pushed the smoke from his mouth and sucked it into his nose. He exhaled, and continued, as excited as ever, "Why won't you join the team Niko-kun???" He grabbed the other boys shoulders and shook him. Niou just laughed. "Don't just laugh at me! You're amazing!?! Argh!" Eiji threw his hands in the air._

_"Ya know, I don't know Eiji," Niou looked Fuji in the eye, "Maybe I'm just not good enough, or maybe I'm too good." He took the offered blunt and inhaled deeply._

_"Fuji, tell him," Eiji's speech had suddenly slowed dramatically and he was grinning._

_The genius stood with his back flush to the brick wall of the school. He shook his head, and took the offered smoke._

_"If he wants to join, he will," he smiled calmly as the smoke escaped from his lips. Niou took the blunt and stood imperceivably closer to Fuji._

_"Plus, he's not really so great."_

_Eiji snorted smoke from his nose and bent over laughing. Niou just shook his head, smiling._

_"I'm only as good as my opponent," the young man's eyes looked into the distance and his smile became a simple smirk._

_"But Niou-kun," Eiji jumped up, laughing hysterically, "all you have to do is play doubles with me or Fuji and you'll always win!"_

_He pushed Niou, and the other young man smiled. From Fuji's mouth game a small sound of approval; the blunt was finished and the genius put it out on his shoe and threw it into a nearby trashcan._

_"Eiji is right. He's much smarter than he looks."_

_Fuji just smiled as he was punched viciously in the arm; Niou grinned._

_"Puri."_

About a week after that, Niou just showed up to practice. He just shrugged, or smirked in response to any question. If the question came from Momo or Kaidoh, or any other underclassman he just ignored it- politely.  

However, the trickster hadn't offered any explanation to anyone why he had suddenly left Rikkaidai and no one at Seigaku Senior High had thought to push the matter. They saw the other Rikkai regulars often enough that there didn't seem to be a problem, so the team had let it go. And, he fell in with the team rather quickly.

 

_"Baka! I saw you take my bandana," Kaidoh growled at Momo._

_"Baka yourself! Why would I want that ugly sweat stained thing? Besides, you're the one who locked me in the bathroom! One of the benchwarmers saw you, snake." the other teen responded. The yelling swelled until they were in each others faces, gesturing and pushing. Niou and Fuji shared a look and the tensai pushed the green cloth into his bag._

My partner in crime, Fuji thought to himself and smirked. Niou rolled his neck and glanced at Fuji, raising his eyebrow for a moment before returning the smirk.

Fuji stood, finally ready to play. He pulled his light brown hair into a small pony-tail. Though still not a particularly large man, he had filled out quite a bit in the last few years. He was still slim, but muscular and tallish. His t-shirt stretched nicely over his strong shoulders, but he covered the flex of his chest with a track jacket. He popped up the collar and walked towards the first court.

His partner stood as well. Niou Masaharu had definitely become a tall and athletic man. He stood almost 5 centimeters taller than Fuji. But, as was his style, he wore a baggy sweatshirt and long warm-up pants, so most observers couldn't tell how fit he actually was. His racquet rest languidly in the space between his elbows and his back, and his hands were hidden in his pants' pockets.

"Yudan sezu ni ikou," he announced as he followed his friend.

"Hn. Almost," replied Fuji still smiling, "his voice is probably deeper now though."

"Impossible. He already sounded 40 when he was 14, eh," Niou smirked as Fuji chuckled. The trickster liked making his partner laugh; it wasn't something he gave freely.

"Should we challenge the guys on the 3rd court?"

"Puri," Niou pulled up his hood and slouched a little more. The young man slipped into a very good imitation of himself.

 

 


	2. the Bible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the Bible joins the gang.

He only just realized he had been tapping his pencil to his lips for the past 10 minutes. Fuji was spacing out again in class. It was insanely boring. The professor had essentially copied the book and projected it onto the board. His well thought out lecture included calling on students, handing them the microphone and asking them to read various sections of the book. They were literally going through it word for word.

Even an idiot would feel bored and Fuji was no idiot. His mind had gone through a million thoughts about a million things and eventually wandered to how effortlessly tryouts had gone. They had beaten two different pairs in one set matches, and he himself had faced one of the previous year's first string in a singles match and won easily. The team wasn't exactly the best in the nation, yet it'd still been a bit easier than he, or Niou had expected. The silver haired boy hadn't even needed to play any tricks-- of course he still pulled a few for fun, but still. It was a cake walk. Tryouts were over and both men were starters before either had gotten a chance to play Shiraishi.

Speaking of the bible, he saw a familiar head of hair seeming to doze off a row in front of him. He glanced out the window again at the dreary day, and with great effort turned back to refocus on his professor. Though this was a required class for his major, basic botany was just too simple for him and this teaching 'method' was like having a slow root canal.

After endless minutes of complete time wasting, the professor assigned the next weeks chapters and Fuji quickly gathered his things.

"Shiraishi-kun," he called as he over the back of the seat in front of him and down to the row below.

The other man looked up at him and grinned broadly.

"Ah, Fuji-san. I should've guessed you would be majoring in something plant related. What are you studying?"

"Botany. That's what brought me to this school actually."

"Mmm Ecstasy," Shiraishi laughed, "Me, too... It's not exactly a tennis school though is it?" He put his hand on his chin as if in thought. "But I suppose our future careers and livelihood are slightly more important than tennis, ne?"

Fuji chuckled a real laugh for the second time in as many days.

"So des ne."

The silver haired young man put away his books and leaned back as a young woman pushed past him hurriedly; she was blushing furiously.

"I always seem to have that effect on woman," he remarked casually.

"I'm sure it was probably me," Fuji responded flatly. With that, his friend could not stifle his laugh. The room was almost empty save for one last young woman who kept stealing glances at Fuji.

After a moment, Shiraishi put his hand on his chin, "Eh, Fuji-san, do you want to get lunch together? If you don't have other plans I mean..."

"Ne, Shiraishi, only if you stop calling me san. I'm meeting Niou at a ramen place nearby. Why don't you join us?"

The taller man smiled and nodded, picking up his bag.

Fuji walked ahead and spoke over his shoulder, "Not a date this time, but maybe next time Shiraishi."

It was the other man's turn to laugh out loud. The young woman let out a pitiful sigh; neither man turned to look.

They fell into step as they left the building, the cool of autumn wrapping itself around them.

"So you and Niou, eh?" Shiraishi glanced over at Fuji. The tensai shrugged.

"We've been partners for awhile now, yes."

"I never pegged you for a doubles player."

"Is this some sort of strange innuendo, Shiraishi-kun?" Fuji chuckled quietly and pushed his hair from his forehead smiling that perma-smile, "I hadn't really considered it either, but I like playing with Niou. There's something satisfying about winning as a doubles team."

"If only I were clever enough to create such an innuendo," Shiraishi shook his head, "I've never found that to be the case. About doubles I mean." He reached up at a tree they were passing and plucked a leaf. "Winning a match. For yourself and by yourself...Ecstasy."

The pair walked in an easy silence again. The crisp air filled the space nicely and Shiraishi pushed his hands further into his pockets. The black peacoat he wore suited him; he often dressed sharply, but simply. Fuji's jacket was actually also quite formal, but it was grey and had a few more embellishments, like seemingly random zippers and buttons. A sudden thought crossed the taller man's mind and he spoke again.

"Where are you living?"

Fuji raised his eyebrows a bit, "straight to the point, eh?" his smile widened, "I'm living in a small flat near campus. And you?"

The other young man grinned, "Actually, I am at the hostel. I have no place to stay, yet. Do you need a roommate?"

"No wasted words," Fuji chuckled, "Hnn, any help with the rent would be good. We only have two bedrooms, but you could use the storage room. However, it's not such a wonderful place. The walls are stained, the floors creak, and sometimes I see dead people. But, it does have nice big windows and roof access."

"A place is a place," the other man shrugged, "Hopefully only you can see the dead people though." He moved his bag from one shoulder to the other and extended his hand. The tensai cocked his head and eyed it.

"I don't know if I'll survive the flesh melting poison a second time."

Shiraishi barked a laugh and grabbed his hand. He gave it two shakes then released it.

"Mmm.. Ecstasy."

At the sound of his own voice, Shiraishi jumped. Fuji walked past him and pushed into the door to their right.

"Niou-kun, don't scare the poor man," though the words seemed like reprimand, the tone was definitely that of approval.

"Puri," Niou smirked. The young man pushed back his hood and held the door for Shiraishi. His hoodie was a dark grey, neck high and stylish. The trickster bowed and gestured dramatically for the other man to enter.

"Did you make a deal with the devil?" Niou asked him-- a glint in his eye, a smile on his face. A more appropriate description of transactions with Fuji did not exist.

"It seems I did," Shiraishi laughed as soon as he finished speaking. Niou patted him on the back as he entered the restaurant.

I haven't laughed this much in quite some time, the Bible thought. 


	3. the Acrobat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Eiji.

The apartment was a little cramped with the three of them.  Shiraishi had taken a third room that was really more of a closet than a bedroom, but he seemed happy about it. Fuji had offered to trade and the other man had vehemetly refused.

Since it was already cramped with three, four seemed like a laugh. But they would give it a shot for the last musketeer.

"Oy! Fujiko! Your apartment's so much smaller than I imagined."

"Thanks."

The former acrobat pulled his friend down into a warm hug. He pressed his lips into Fuji's then pulled back, sporting a large grin.

"Eiji, I'm still not gay," said the tensai, chuckling.

"How many times I got to tell ya? Sexuality is fluid. It's not just black and white or gay and straight. Everyone's a little bit gay, ya know."

"Ok. Let me rephrase that. I'm not as gay as you," Fuji added, "Not nearly," under his breath and Niou laughed out loud from the kitchen.

"Masa!"Eiji dropped his bag at the door and ran inside, pushing past Fuji. He jumped happily on the other man, "It's been so long Masa!"

Niou grinned. Eiji was the only person who made him laugh and smile so freely. The boy was infectious.

"Neh Eiji. You're giving Niou that smiling disease again," Fuji picked up the duffel bag on the floor and threw it to the acrobat. The redhead was almost knocked over as it hit him in the chest. All three men laughed loudly.

"Shit. I missed you guys!" Eiji shouted and threw the bag into one of the bedrooms, not caring which man's it was. He turned back to the living room "Masa. This man wants to smoke."

"We missed you too. And," Niou handed him a drink and a spliff, "already rolled one." He passed another drink to Fuji and sat in his favorite spot on the couch. He put his feet on the coffee table and leaned back.

"Saa," Fuji added. They hadn't seen Eiji since university had begun, almost three months ago. The other boy was studying to be a nurse at the same medical university as Oishi and Inui. Both of their old teammates were studying medicine: Oishi, pediatrics and Inui, pathology and toxicology. They were all still friends, but Eiji was always Fuji's best friend. The tensai couldn't help but grin, too; the acrobat's pure excitement with life was unstoppable. Eiji took a long drag and leaned back, content. He passed the spliff to Fuji.

"So what are we going to do this weekend?" Eiji was never one to sit at home. He looked expectantly at his friends. The trickster waited until his friend took a draught of beer before answering.

"There's a show. Underground noise-rock," Niou smirked and accepted the smoke, rolling it between his fingers. Eiji practically choked on his drink. He knew how much the other man loved concerts-- particularly noisy ones. The three of them had been too so many shows together, he had lost count.

"Hell yeah!"

The trio talked for awhile, laughing and drinking, until there were a few bottles on the table. Fuji had stood up to get the third round when the doorknob began to jiggle. Keys jangled and the door struggled before their third roommate burst in.

"You didn't tell me you had another roommate!" Eiji stood to greet the new guest. He turned his head towards Niou and mumbled, "And you didn't mention he was hot."

Niou just shooked his head, still smiling and Fuji spoke up.

"You remember Shiraishi, don't you Eiji?"

Eiji did a double take.

"Shiraishi. From high school Shiraishi?"

The man at the door smiled and made a small gun with his hand, "Exactly." He shot the acrobat with his finger gun. Kikumaru laughed out loud and crossed the room instantly, shaking his bandaged hand.

"Are you coming to the concert with us tonight?"

Shiraishi looked dumbfoundedly at his two roommates. Niou continued to drink and raised an eyebrow. Fuji simply shrugged and smiled his perma-smile.

"What concert?"

Eiji laughed and threw his arm over the other man's shoulders, "Does it matter honey?"

Niou spit out his beer and laughed as Shiraishi blushed.

The tensai grabbed Eiji's arm and dragged him back to the couch where Niou had turned on Mario Kart, "Do join us tonight Shiraishi."

Kuranosuke nodded and walked into his a room, singing to himself about a beetle. When he was emerged from his room an hour or so later, he heard Eiji shouting and Niou laughing uncontrollably.

"Fujiko! Every time. Every Go'damn single time!"

"Eiji. The blue turtle shell is in the game for a reason."

"But you never do it when Masa is going to win!"

"That's just a coincidence."

"Fujiko!" Eiji howled. He threw his control into the air and stomped into the kitchen. Without looking, Fuji caught the piece of plastic with his right hand while starting the game with his left; his smile had a devilish twinge to it.

"Don't start the game yet, you asshole!" Eiji ran out of the kitchen and jumped over the sofa, still managing to hold his beer. The trickster was doubled over laughing, yet still managing to drive without so much as a glance at the screen.

Shiraishi had never seen Niou laugh so much. Or Masa, was it? He had never heard that nickname before either. Everyone else called him Niou and Fuji called him Masaharu.

"Yo, Beetlejuice. Throw me a beer, eh?"

"And get one for yourself," Fuji added, raising an eyebrow as his car pushed Eiji's off the rainbow track.

"You son of a bitch," the acrobat growled, "I hate this game...let's play again."


	4. the Child of God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A concert and the entrance of the Child of God

The livehouse was crowded that night. Rock-spectacle was a medium sized livehouse located in B2 of an old, unsuccessful shopping mall. It was dark, dingy, and smelled of liquor. Perfect for a show.

The four men pushed their way towards the floor; none of them liked to be seated during shows. Each had a beer (Shiraishi had two as it was more efficient). Niou lit a very suspicious smelling 'cigarette' that his two best friends shared; this was Rock-spectacle so no one gave a shit. The whole room began to fill with smoke and the smell frozen a dozen cigarettes overpowered their fragrant joint.

"Oy, Masa, it's starting," Eiji elbowed Niou and the other man killed what remained of the joint. What little light there was in the room was turned off as the colorful ones on stage flared up. The spectrum of color danced over the crowd and the drop of the bass hit them like the pedal hit the drum itself.

At first all they heard was the pounding of the bass drum, then came the driving pulse of an insane bassline. A spotlight lit the tall, lanky bassist as he began to sing. His voice was like honey and it was a voice they all recognized.

"Yukimura?" Fuji mouthed to Niou. The other man just shrugged and began jumping and dancing with Eiji.

"I knew I had heard of this band before," Shiraishi cupped his hands around Fuji's ear, "It's Yukimura's band."

Fuji cupped his hands around Shiraishi's ear and replied with just as much painful volume, "I can see that."

They both laughed and joined their friends' dancing. The crowd swayed to the frantic beat. It was hard to tell where the noise ended and where the music began. The throat scraping cries of the guitarist ran in stark contrast to Yukimura's melodic voice.

After their set, the band returned to the side of the crowd as the headliners set up. Shiraishi was the first to greet his friend.

"Ah, Kura-san,  I didn't think you were going to forget about the show."

The bible grinned sheepishly, "Actually, I did forget, but my roommates invited me."

Yukimura looked over his friend's shoulder, "Syuusuke!"

"Seiichi," Fuji smiled warmly and gave his friend a hug. Since the U-17, they had been pretty good friends; it was only recently that they hadn't spoken for an extended amount of time. "You look like a rockstar," he added, pulling at his friend's shirt.

Yukimura did infact look like a rockstar. He wore tight black jeans and a ratted t-shirt. His black hair hung over one eye and a red bandana was wrapped around his neck.

"Since when have you had dread locks?" Shiraishi asked, fingering one of the tangled strands of hair.

"Ah, that," Yukimura's ever friendly smile did not waiver, "I began them about a month ago."

"They look badass," Kikumaru chimed in, he reached out and shook the former Rikkaidai captain's hand, "you guys were awesome."

The captain adjusted his bandana, "Thank you Kikumaru."

"Oy, Masa! Aren't you going to say hello?"

Niou, who had been very intently staring at nothing, nodded towards his old teammate, "'Sup boss?"

A moment of wavering in the ever smiling facade went unnoticed by everyone, except Fuji. He tucked the information away for later appraisal. Without a hitch in his response, Yukimura extended a hand and the trickster took it smoothly, "It's good to see you Niou-kun."

"Puri."

The next band began to play, interrupting the building silence. Yukimura shifted his wait, and looked like he was about to speak. But before any words could tumble from his mouth, Niou shouted, "Eiji, mosh pit!" over the drilling heavy metal.

The acrobat looked at the moving crowd, glanced quickly back at Yukimura and the words practically shot from his mouth, "I'm-sorry-but-I-love-mosh-pits-it-was-good-to-see-you!" Eiji spun on his heel and began pushing Niou hurriedly into the growing pitt. The two lost themselves in the joy that is pushing and being pushed. If you've never been in a mosh pit, you'd never understand the rush and freedom of it.

The three old friends stood to the side to make an effort at conversation.

"How did you guys know about the show?"

"Masaharu told us."

"I guess he didn't know I was in the band."

The three of them deadpanned. Yeah. Like Niou wouldn't have known. That was a worth a good chuckle.

Yukimura took a swig of his drink. "I think this is the first show he's been to," he mused.

"Or the first one you've seen him at," Fuji raised an eyebrow and the captain nodded. The tricksters ability to hide in plain sight was one that they had all experienced... usually with some embarrassment.

 

_"I just had a very embarrassed vice-captain approach me, Masaharu," Yukimura began. His smile danced on his face, and his eyes flashed._

_"That doesn't sound like Sanada, eh," Niou returned the ball Yagyuu hit him. His eyes were focused on the rally._

_"No, it doesn't. But the fact was he was bright red. Do you know what he said?" Yukimura tilted his head, eyes still shining._

_"No idea, boss," Masaharu shook his head, moving to hit a backhand._

_"He said  with the utmost respect to please never grab his ass again."_

_"A strange thing to say, eh?" Niou could barely suppress his smirk._

_"A hundred laps."_

_Niou caught the ball and saluted._

_"Yes, boss."_

_As he sauntered off to begin his run, Yukimura let out a quiet chuckle._

**

_"Niou Masaharu!" Shiraishi shouted as he entered the apartment. "Why the hell did the girl at the market say she was excited for our date on Friday?"_

_Niou glanced up from the book he was reading, "I got free gum?" He offered returning to his book. Apparently that was a good enough reason to imitate your roommate and ask out employees._

**

_"My brother said he saw me on a date at a cafe near my home," Fuji began as they dressed for practice._

_"Oh?" Niou responded, no real question in his voice. He pulled on his Seigaku uniform. "Was it a good date?"_

_"I'm not sure. I wasn't there," Fuji bent down to tie his shoe._

_"Ah, I see. Yuuta made a mistake, eh?"_

_Fuji would not fall for this._

_"He said he spoke with me."_

_"Strange," Niou said closing his locker. The tensai finally looked up, eyes open._

_"Yes, especially since I was on a date with a man."_

_"That seems very you," the trickster responded and stepped out the door. Fuji just sighed._

 

"Well, campai to old friends," Shiraishi shouted and the three of them downed their beers.  Two bands later and several shots later, Shiraishi made a realization.

"Hey, you're studying botany as well, right?"

Yukimura nodded and tilted his head.

"Maybe we can study together sometimes. Fuji and I are in the same program."

"You can see my personal...plant project," Fuji beamed.

Yukimura's smile grew large and so warm, the other boys thought they had flown into the sun.

"I would love that."


	5. the things that go on sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the concert, night arousal leads to a sexual encounter of the usual kind. This chapter has some SMEX and tennis so please beware... not of the tennis. The smex part, I mean.

"Fujiko," the young man whispered hotly as he snaked his hand under the tensai's shirt.

Fuji didn't speak. He grasped his friend's wrist gently and placed it back on the acrobat's own thigh.

"Syuusuke," Eiji whispered again, pressing his lips on Fuji's ear. His hand wandered underneath the shirt again, and was now rubbing the tensai's abs. Again Fuji grasped his friend's hand lightly and moved it.

"Even when I'm sleeping, I'm straight, Eiji," he mumbled.

The acrobat groaned and flipped heavily on to his back, grumbling under his breath.

This was all part of the routine. Fuji knew his next line and said it sleepily, "Why don't you try Masaharu?"

There was a slight pause and then silence. The bed moved slightly as Eiji leapt off.

"That's why you're the genius," the acrobat wore a devilish grin. He bounded out of the room quietly, leaving his shirt in the hallway.

Fuji stretched, smiled and rolled into the middle of his bed.

Meanwhile, Eiji had entered his other best friend's room. The silver-haired boy slept on his side with his back to his door. Perfect for a sneak attack, thought Eiji. He slipped soundlessly into the bed and tried his hand up another shirt.

"Oy, Masa," he whispered. Niou-kun probably would have been surprised if he hadn't been so used to it.

The trickster entwined their fingers, "I was wondering how long it would take this time."

The acrobat laughed outloud and snuggled into his friend's back, "Man's got to try."

"Puri."

In an instant, snuggle time was over and Eiji gently nipped at his friend's neck. The other man turned around and met him with a kiss. A kiss that quickly escalated. Both men sat up and Eiji pulled of Niou's shirt roughly. The acrobat reached for a condom from the nightstand and unwrapped it on his already painfully hard erection.

Niou placed the lube in his hands.

"Oy, Masa. So fast."

The trickster smirked, "I told you. I was waiting for you."

Before Eiji could speak again, Niou had turned around. The acrobat pushed into his friend slowly. Niou groaned and hung his head, weight on his arms. He pushed his ass back, taking in Eiji even faster.

"Masa," Eiji croaked. Then, it began. The two had a pace that was their own. A rhythm they had shared since the first time they did this- almost two years ago.

The acrobat laughed deliriously as he was prone to do, "so tight."

Niou grinned despite the pain in his ass, "it's not like--en-- I do this for--- ennn-- everyone."

Eiji leaned over and kissed the other man's back as he thrust harder.

"I know," he mumbled into the skin.

When it was over, the acrobat tied the condom and tossed it in the bin as Niou unfurled his own.

"Always so hasty," Eiji teased, but the lust in his eyes spoke volumes about how ready he was.

Niou pushed him onto his back, hand burning its imprint into Eiji's chest. The trickster's kiss matched his personality perfectly; it was a changing, mysterious, and extremely sexy thing. Eji's was more playful, and full of smiles. They both enjoyed biting and teasing, and each other most of all. It didn't take long before Eiji began rocking his hips up into the trickster more urgently, eyes almost pleading with his friend; he'd reached his limit.

"Always so hasty," Niou murmured. He hooked his arm under the acrobat's knee and lifted his leg. Their bodies pressed together as he eased into the redhead.

Eiji growled at the pain, "I don't --usually do this either," he huffed.

"I know," Niou smiled as he began the second round of their dance. Eiji held his shoulders still for a moment. The other man paused and looked questioningly. The redhead spoke quietly, eyes intent.

"Masa, just be you ok?"

"Me?" the trickster grunted as he pressed further. His partner responded with a moan.

"I hate it -- en--when you do that...thing," Eiji huffed as he tangled his hand in the hair behind Niou's neck.

"Eh?"

"I don't want Yagyuu or some other asshole. I want you."

Niou grinned with realization and pressed with the twisting motion that was all his own.

"Then I will be the asshole you get--in the ass." The acrobat smiled and closed his eyes, pulling his lover into a hungry kiss.

As he always did when the pace became furious, Eiji quietly chanted, "Masa," like a prayer on his lips. And like he always did when he was close, the trickster kissed every part of his friend he could reach.  When it was over, they collapsed in a sweaty, satiated heap, trying to cath their breaths.

When Eiji could finally move again he pressed a lazy kiss on his friend's shoulder, arm strewn across the other man's chest. He could barely move his mouth to mumble.

"Oy, Masa. Fuck."

Niou smirked that dangerous smirk, "Ok."

Eiji's eyes opened in alarm. "Masa, my ass already hurts."

It was too late. The other man was already moving. The trickster reached down between them and slipped his hand around his friend's already hardening member, stroking it lightly.

"Who said anything about your ass, eh?"

The acrobat leaned his head back and closed his eyes, purring,

"You are such a good person."

The next morning, the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen woke Shiraishi up. His head pounded from one too many drinks the night before. While Niou and Eiji had moshed the night away, the three plant lovers had downed shots and drinks (courtesy of their VIP band-knowing status). He felt like he'd swallowed the poison that had supposedly ran through his bandaged arm.

He staggered toward the kitchen only to find what he'd expected.

"Syu-kun, it smells amazing."

Fuji smiled and turned to look at him, concomitantly flipping a pancake.

"That's because it is amazing, Baiburu."

Shiraishi laughed despite himself and asked if he could help. Fuji tilted his head to the side, apparently deep in thought.

"Hmm, it's pretty much done. Can you go wake up Masaharu? You know how he is in the morning."

"Sure. The guy sleeps like a log."

As Shiraishi walked away, Fuji's eyes glinted and he chuckled to himself.

"Niouuuuwhaa-aaah! I-I...Uh... Breakfast is ready."

Fuji leaned to hear the response, still flipping pancakes. The only words he heard were from Shiraishi, "Gomen... gomen."

The other man returned to the kitchen at sat at a stool, speechless.

Fuji grinned, his back still turned to the other.

In a few seconds, Eiji slid into the kitchen, in only his socks and his boxers. Shiraishi took his first real look at the man since he'd arrived the day before. His hair was shorter than Shiraishi remembered. His jaw was had grown wider and stronger, though it still had no trace of facial hair. He stood as tall as Fuji.  

Although he didn't play tennis at the medical university, he did complete as a hurdler in the 100 meter dash. It came naturally to him, so he didn't have to go to every practice. His legs had grown muscular and thick. He patted his toned stomach.

"Feed me Fujiko."

The trickster followed, yawning as he entered the room. He threw the redhead the shirt he'd left in the hallway, and began to tie his own silver hair into his customary bun. His five o'clock shadow was slowly becoming a beard.

So it's like that. Shiraishi didn't particularly want to hear the details of what had happened between the two last night. He could guess. Easily.

"Neh, Shiraishi-kun. Did you get a good look?" Eiji grinned and the other two boys suppressed a laugh. "I can show you again, if you like."

"That won't be necessary, Eiji," Shiraishi smiled and tried to play off his discomfort, but Eiji could not be so easily placated.

"Really? It's pretty easy; I just have to," the acrobat snapped his waistband. The bible shook his head quickly.

"No, no, that's fine."

"Mm. How 'bout a tennis match then?" When no one answered, Eiji spoke again, "Oy, Masa. Tennis. Today?"

"Puri."

"Fujiko, you?"

"Sure," the tensai smiled. The acrobat looked expectantly at the last man, who ate his food in silence. Shiraishi pushed around his pancake bits with intense interest. Eiji sighed loudly.

"Do I have to ask you one by one? For shit sake, Shiraishi?"

The bible laughed, "I didn't want to be left out. Of course. Tennis sounds like ecstasy."

The redhead grinned, pleased with himself, "the dream pair will rise again!"

Of course, they lost, but Eiji was still extremely pleased with the situation. 


	6. a Study Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A (not so) surprise guest comes for a study date.

A couple of weeks later, Niou wasn't at all surprised when he pushed open the front door. He had heard the young man's voice from the hallway. He would recognize it anywhere. But when he entered, he feigned his lack of knowing.

"Oh, Yukimura san. Finally decided to help these half-wits?" he smirked as he threw his keys into the bowl next to the door. Fuji's eye twitched ever so slightly, Shiraishi just laughed.

"You mean, 'join these geniuses.' Don't you Masaharu?"

Three three men sat in a group, sprawled throughout the living room. Shiraishi sat with his legs crossed on the floor, Yukimura sat on the floor, leaning his back on the couch and Fuji lay stretched out on the couch. The genius spun his pencil lazily between his fingertips, pointedly eyeing the trickster. Niou pulled out a beer from the fridge and tilted his head.

"Puri."

Yukimura laughed quietly. "That's not an answer," he mumbled.

"Mmm, Yukimura?" asked Shiraishi. The man had a the tip of his pen balanced on the tip of his finger. Apparently, none of them could hold still very well.

"I said that's not the answer. It's opposite, not alternate" Yukimura said louder, pointing at a leaf structure.

"Ah, yes. Thanks." The other man scratched something out and refocused on his notes.

Fuji stood up to join his friend in the kitchen.

"How was your day?" he said, lifting the cold drink from Niou's hands. The trickster smirked and opened the fridge for another drink.

"Same same. Math. Math. Physics. Then math."

Fuji shuddered, "I will never understand why it's your favorite subject."

"Mada mada dane."

Fuji rolled his eyes and went back to his books. "I hate you, Masa."

Niou grinned before he waved and headed for the hallway,"Purina."

The three men went back to their studies. Midterms were soon. Fuji and Shiraishi's program was much more respected than Yukimura's (he had chosen his school for the tennis), but neither program was particularly easy. But with the strenuous tennis schedule of a serious team, Yukimura didn't have much free time to study. He was the captain and he was a freshman. Child of God indeed.

However, at the moment, the divine being could not focus on his work. His mind kept wandering to his old friend, and various ways he could strike up a conversation.

"So, your hair is longer," or "Long time no see, did you come to the concert to watch me?" or, "My, you're even more attractive now than the last time I saw you."

He sighed. It had been a mistake that time. If he had just realized earlier, everything would be different.

"Penny for your thoughts, Yukimura?"

The former captain looked up and realized he'd been drawing a large circle over and over again in his notes. He chuckled and did his best to play it cool. Of course, he was extremely good at playing it cool, so the other men didn't seem to notice otherwise.

"Ah, yeah Shiraishi-kun. Maybe I just need to get up for a minute. This chapter's a little boring. Excuse me," with that Yukimura headed to the bathroom to wash his face, and hopefully snap out of it.

That's not what happened. Instead, he ran into Niou as he came out of the bathroom. Literally.

"Yo."

"Ah. Niou-kun."

When the captain didn't say anything else, Niou raised an eyebrow and began to walk towards his room. There shoulders brushed slightly and Yukimura felt his stomach clench.

"Niou."

The other man turned back around. His eyes glinted with a hint of mirth as he stood waiting.

"Yes?"

"How have you been?"

"Can't complain, eh."

"Were things good... at that school?"

Niou met his eyes steadily.

"Yeah."

"..."

The child of god didn't know how to continue despite his great desire to. He was never this hesitant to speak, or this speechless. He secretly kicked himself. Niou sighed, but smiled.

"Yeah. It was good. Different. But I made some good friends. I've got to go do some work now. See ya around, eh?"

Yukimura nodded. With that, the man turned and headed back to his room.

He walked back to the living room, unsure who had just talked to Niou. It definitely wasn't the proud and confident Yukimura Seiichi.

What the captain didn't see was Niou close the door and lean back on it, looking towards the ceiling. He took a couple of deep breaths and pushed himself from the door. It took a moment for the trickster to right himself and settle down to rolling a joint, turning up the music. Fuji will want some. He smiled to himself, grateful for his partner in crime.

 

_"When in doubt, smoke it out," Marui said. He chewed his gum and popped it as his fingers moved deftly._

_"Please don't get your spit all over it," Niou mumbled._

_"You mean like this," the other young man grinned as the licked the side of the paper to close it off._

_"Ew. Is it always like that?" the trickster inquired. He turned the newly finished spliff in his fingers._

_"Yup. It's alright. My spit's as sweet as I am."_

_"It looks questionable," Yagyuu chimed in. "Also, you're not sweet."_

_"He's right. You're not."_

_"Not at all."_

_"Not even a little."_

_Marui growled and wagged a finger._

_"Next time, you roll your own shit."_

 

When in doubt, smoke it out, Niou thought ruefully. He missed that ridiculous red hair sometimes, but that life was ancient history now. Shaking his head, he lit the bait and waited it to lure his friend. Meanwhile, Yukimura shook his head, and went back to studying. The other two living room occupants shared a silent conversation. In the end, they decided not to say anything. As the smell of skunk drifted lightly from the hallway, Fuji smiled and excused himself.

"Smoking helps me study," he offered apologetically... and with absolutely no remorse. 


	7. Cactusize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuji shows Niou how he really feels. Wink wink, nudge nudge. And Marui's in this chapter. Hooray!

Midterms were over, and the three students all found themselves with a week to relax. Shiraishi was training his beetle to pull a small cart and Fuji was training his cactus to...cactusize. The three had just smoked a nice spliff and the trickster was restless, and maybe horny.

"Syuusuke, I'm going to Eiji's," Niou called out as he picked up his keys. Fuji poked his head out his doorway and looked at his friend, eyebrows raised.

"But, he has a date tonight."

Niou's face fell.

"Ah shit. Who am I going ta fuck now, eh?" Niou threw his keys into the bowl and backed himself up to the couch. He plopped down heavily, head lolling back onto the couch.  

Fuji walked out of his room and leaned on the wall. Their eyes met and Fuji smiled warmly,

"Me?" he hummed.

"You're not gay."

The tensai's stare intensified, glowing with a sexuality that Fuji could turn on at the drop of a hat. He oozed that shit.  

"Not for Eiji, no."

The trickster met his eyes with the same lust. So sexy. Then he blinked and shook his head vigorously.

"I hate you Fujiko."

The genius suddenly laughed. He grinned as he slipped back into his room, "But really, we can go out tonight. Cause trouble or whatnot."

Niou sipped his drink and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. As long as I get laid, eh. No worries."

Shiraishi chimed in from his bedroom, door open as it always was. He gave a small hoot before he spoke. He was always the most giddy when he smoked.

"I heard there's a huge party over at Yukimura's school.... the pot-smoking, ear-splitting music kind."

Niou perked up, "Puri."

The three kept themselves busy until a decent hour to go partying-- no one likes showing up early and no one likes people who show up early. As usual, Fuji decided he would need to be hotter than any Rikkaidai guy; it was a matter of pride.

Fuji pulled his hair up, and wore a blue flannel shirt with black jeans. He put on his fake glasses and grinned. He was going for as hipster chic as possible.

"Shiraishi, do I look hipster enough?"

The other man was busy combing his hair forward, then messing it up. He repeated the process until he looked sufficiently relaxed. Niou thought he looked the same as before he had even started. The bible boy wore a grey cardigan with tight back pants. He poked his head out of his room.

"You look exactly how hipsters looked before it was cool."

Niou rolled his eyes. He was the gay one, but his roommates spent a lot more time getting ready. He pulled on a dark v-neck and slipped into his favorite (holey) jeans.

"Boys, boys, boys. Neither of you will ever look as hip as me. Give up."

"You mean we'll never look as gay as you," Fuji corrected. He smirked and adjusted his fake glasses. "I give up."

"Please," Niou said as he walked towards Shiraishi. He stood next to his friend, then gestured at the bible then himself. "Who looks more gay? Please." He continued gesturing back and forth until Shiraishi punched him in the arm.

Niou looked at him then looked at Fuji again and back at the bible boy.

"Please."

Fuji popped up the collar of his shirt as he laughed. Shiraishi growled and tried to suppress a grin. He stepped in his Toms and picked up his keys.

"Ready boys?"

The three stepped out into the crisp fall air together, chatting smoothly as they walked to the train station. Not one of them was the loud or boisterous type, so their voices mixed together like water flowing in a gentle stream. Sometimes it made two of them miss their charming and chatty best friend, but Shiraishi was a good guy and very funny when he was stoned. Which wasn't often enough, according to Niou.

Too bad he doesn't like to fuck around, Niou smirked to himself, not really bothered.

He looked over at his genius friend. Unlike Eiji, the trickster never tried with Fuji because he knew it was pointless. The man was straight as could be, though he liked to pretend he wasn't sometimes.

No matter. Not a day passed when he wasn't glad that he'd ended up in their class at Seigaku. It was besides the point the he had forged the class paper when the principal wasn't looking. Going to Seigaku may have been the best thing that ever happened to him really. But still,

Fuck Yagyuu and that Rikkaidai bullshit.

And yet, here they were, going to a Rikkaidai University party. It was actually a house party in a ridiculously large mansion of a house. They had no idea who the owner was, or what the reason for the party was, but the venue was amazing. There were large speakers set up in the immense living room and coolers with beers in every room. Despite being an enormous place, it was crowded by the sheer number of people.

Shiraishi and Fuji began talking with a couple of very pretty, and very lovestruck young women who suddenly approached them, so Niou offered to get the drinks. He did quite well to slide through the mass of people. And then he hit a brick wall...wearing a hat.

"Niou."

The normally slouched man straightened, but he didn't let go of the teasing in his eyes.

"Genichirou," he smirked. The other man's eye twitched and the solo cup in his hand shrank with a crunch.

"You don't belong here."

"Oh?"

"This is a Rikkai party. You're not Rikkai. So get the fuck out," Sanada Genichirou stood with his shoulders pulled back, daring Niou to disagree with his logic. He was ready to throw a punch if necessary.

A familiar bob of colorful hair stepped in. Marui Bunta; one of the few members of his old school that still kept in very good touch with Niou.

"Back off Sanada-kun. It ain't no thing. He's just here to party."

"Shut up, Marui. And move."

"Look, what's past is past, right? Just chill man."

The taller man flinched, and Niou stepped forward. The trickster put a hand on his old friend's shoulder and gently guided him to the side.

"Not giving anyone else much hassle, eh?" Niou wasn't scared of a fight.

"They're not traitors," Sanada spit out the last word and took a step closer to his old teammate. He seemed pleased things were going to escalate.

"Such an archaic word," Fuji's gentle voiced rolled over them. The genius stood a few feet away and approached; the man in a hat glared as Fuji positioned himself just to the side of Niou, and a step in front of his friend.

"This is none of your business, Fuji," Sanada growled.

"It is when you're messing with my friend," the shorter man's eyes flashed open. He might has well have shot laser beams from them. But despite his super human rage, he spoke calmly, "Yukimura invited us. You wouldn't want to upset your master now, would you?"

The man in the hat snapped. With his teeth bared, he reached up to...well, punch or push or maybe even slap Fuji when someone else stepped in the way. Yanagi Renji. The voice of reason. The newcomer put his hand on Sanada's shoulder and spoke in low tones, gracefully pushing him away. Whatever the man said, it seemed to have put Sanada off of beating Niou or Fuji up, and he let himself be lead away.

"Good timing, eh," Niou smirked at Fuji.

"Just luck," the tensai shrugged and continued, "I was going to see if you wanted a smoke."

"Ehem."

Niou blinked then tilted his head towards the sound. It came from the Rikkaidai man still standing with them.

"Fuji, you remember Marui, no?"

"Yes. It's good to see you Maru-kun."

"Likewise man. You really got a pair if you can stand up to that asshole like that."

Fuji laughed, "Yes, I do have a nice pair. Do you smoke Marui-kun?"

He snorted, "Who has two thumbs and taught Niou how to roll? This genius." He gestured to himself with both of his thumbs.

The three of them wandered outside to a darkish part of the vast garden and lit up. Marui was full of questions about various bands for Niou to answer, and Fuji was content to listen. After a few minutes, Marui's tone became a little softer and a little more serious.

"So how've you really been Con-man?"

Niou shrugged in response.

"That good eh. Fuck, I'm sorry Sanada gave you such a hard time. He can be such a dick sometimes."

"All the time," Niou mumbled.

"Yeah maybe," the man with the colorful hair turned to look at Fuji as he passed the splif, trying to explain, "He's actually not such a bad guy. But Niou leaving really pissed him off. Never got over it I think. It maybe even hurt his feelings." He chuckled to himself, exhaling the smoke he'd been holding in his lungs.

Niou slid into another topic, "How're you really doing, eh?"

Marui grinned brightly, "Excellent. I'm doubles one on the team. I've got a hot girlfriend. Love my major. Things couldn't be better."

"She the one I met at the concert?"

"Ah, yeah. Did you see her Fuji?"

The tensai hadn't even remembered seeing Marui there. He hesitated before answering. The other man quickly cut in, with a laugh.

"I'm just playin' Fuji. We saw you guys, but it was like our second date or something so I just talked to Masaharu. This guy's one of my best friends, you know?"

With that he threw an arm over his friend's shoulder and posed with a small V for victory.

"Puri."

Niou rolled his eyes, but his smile grew a little brighted and he didn't throw the arm from his shoulders.

"Hah. Yeah, well I got to head back in. Need to find Renji and see if he reigned in the beast. Let's hang out soon, Masaharu. You can come too, other genius," Marui was laughing to himself as he slipped back into the house. The two remaining friends sat in amicable silence as Niou began to roll a new joint.

"It's kind of romantic out here," Fuji offered.

"Hn."

Niou's tongue stuck out a bit as he deftly shifted the paper, letting the weed settle. His nimble fingers made short work of rolling it up, and his tongue darted out to close it off.

"Ecstasy," he mumbled, making himself laugh. He looked up to offer the joint to his friend, and found the tensai inches away from his face.

"Yo, Fuji man. What's up?"

The genius put a hand on Niou's neck and leaned down.

"I can't hide it anymore Masaharu."

Fuji's fingers threaded into the hair at the base of Niou's hair and he put his other hand on his knee. The weight shifted into his arm as he moved closer. The silver haired man gulped visibly. He'd been horny since he woke up. Today was not the day he could play it cool with Fuji. His face flushed red slightly when the tensai closed the gap between them. Niou swiftly put the joint between Fuji's lips.

"Yo, I hate you sometimes, Fuji."

The genius grinned broadly and pushed himself up to standing.

"Oh, I almost had you this time Masa-san," he laughed and despite himself, Niou laughed too.

"You're a fucking dick."

Fuji held the spliff between his teeth, lit it, and inhaled, still grinning.

"Yeah, but I'm a marvelous fucking dick," he released the breath he was holding and pushed out the words, "I don't think we were alone though."

Niou raised an eyebrow as he accepted the spliff.

"Really?"

"Hn. You were too horny to notice, but somebody walked up, stayed for a second then walked away."

The trickster snorted in response. He smoked a little more, then passed it back to his friend. He turned his gaze to the dark grounds. There were a few people walking about, and chatting. Undoubtedly there were a few he didn't see who were doing a little more than chatting. Fuji shifted and made a move towards the door.

"I'm going to head back in and find Kura-kun."

Fuji shook his head as Niou offered him one last toke.

"I'm good. Are you coming?"

It was Niou's turn to shake his head.

"I'm just going to chill here a minute. Finish this. Relax."

"Sure."

Fuji patted his friend's shoulder then walked back into the house.

Niou sat on a stone bench that was nearby and lay back. He put in his headphones and turned on a familiar tune with familiar voice belting out the the lyrics. Gazing into the black mess above, he remembered why he didn't always like to go to parties.

"Fucking Sanada," he grumbled to himself.

"Yes, he can be a dick sometimes."

The voice barely made it through the music. 


	8. a Bridge in the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter of Yukimura and Niou's garden conversation.

"Shit, you scared me boss."

Niou lifted up his feet to give Yukimura a spot on the bench. The other man tried to hide his surprise at the apparent welcome he'd been given.

"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone could sneak up on you," he smiled his winning smile. Niou offered him a glance, but went back to scrolling through his mp3 player with a chuckle.

"It's easier when I'm this stoned."

The former captain took in his friend's appearance. The trickster's eyes were bloodshot and his grin was lopsided. Other than that, he looked pretty damn good. The stubble on his face was dark compared to his shockingly silver hair. Some pieces spilled in his face and over his dark green eyes. Gaijin. He rest on one arm while his other hand thumbed through the music device.

"Something up, boss? You're staring a lot eh."

Yukimura suppressed his blush-- yeah, he could do that, he was the child of God for fuck sake-- and smiled a little broader.

"Just thinking about a haircut I could give you," he said dismissively. For some reason, he could never bring himself to say that he meant with Niou. Maybe the moment had passed too long ago.

"Hmm, don't I look handsome enough?" Niou grinned and raised an eyebrow. And despite the complete agreement he felt, Yukimura simply shrugged.

"Sure, Niou-kun."

The trickster seemed to visibly cringe at that, if only just a little. He slowly sat up and pulled out his headphones.

"Your band is pretty good."

Yukimura tilted his head, "Thanks. I told Marui to let you know when we had shows before."

Niou stood and stretched, "Puri."

"That's not an answer."

The trickster's expression softened when he looked at his friend again.

"He did tell me."

"An."

Niou pulled out a spliff Bunta had already rolled.

"Relax boss, I'll tell you what you want to know."

He lit the well-rolled spliff and took a long drag. He would thank his friend later for slipping this in his pocket. That man always had quick hands. Taking a moment to enjoy the smoke, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He could feel Yukimura waiting for him, looking at him and Niou sighed, smoke dispelling from his nose.

"Smoke and I'll talk," he said, offering the sweetened spliff. The captain took it and put it to his lips; he hesitated. He didn't smoke often, but Niou had always made him do things he didn't often do.

He inhaled and his friend spoke again.

"Yeah, I've seen you play before. Probably three or four times. No, you wouldn't have seen me. And I don't know why I didn't say hi. Just didn't want the hassle I guess," he shook his head, still smiling, "Sanada is a perfect example of why, eh."

He took back the smoke that Yukimura offered.

"Hn. But he wasn't always there. Are you..?" as always, he couldn't finish the conversation.

Niou looked at him for a long while, eyes searching. Eventually he just smirked. 

"No, I'm not mad. I was never mad, Seiichi."

Niou pulled the other man to his feet closed the distance between them, so their faces were only inches apart.

"Inhale," he croaked. Yukimura blinked. It's not often the divine man was caught of guard so he did as he was asked. The trickster pushed the smoke slowly from his lips and it passed like a small bridge into the captain's mouth. Yukimura could feel the heat of the other man's mouth, but felt paralyzed. 

Niou grinned and pulled back. He stamped out the remains of the spliff, then walked away. He turned around, walking backwards as he spoke.

"What happened, happened. Forget about it."

And then he was gone and Yukimura sat, still hung up on the fact that Niou had said, "Seiichi." His stoned brain couldn't process whether he had just imagined it or whether it had really happened.

"Fuck."

He pushed his hands on his face and rubbed. It felt good to push into his eyes and relax this mask he always wore. He tried to push it all from his mind. But he knew, he didn't want to forget about it; he wanted to do something about it.

A little off-balance, he stood and made his way back to the party. He didn't get high often, but sometimes it was nice to lose touch with reality like this. He floated his way to getting another drink when Sanada and Yanagi pulled him down. Before he could speak, Sanada bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry Yukimura. I didn't mean to be such an asshole to Niou-kun."

Yukimura smiled, hiding his stonedness from his two friends.

"Neh, Genichirou, it's all right. Just try not to be such a dick when you see him again."

"See him again?" Yanagi asked. The possible scenarios were flying through his mind.

"Hn. We have a practice match with them next week."


	9. the Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's a tennis match and a deal

For some reason, Yukimura had butterflies in his stomach-- ok well, not some reason, he knew the reason. But he was never nervous before a match, so it was really an odd sensation. He sat on the bench next to court one, focused on winding his grip tape.

Though he knew who was warming up one court beyond his, he couldn't bring himself to look. Everytime he slipped and did glance up, a flood of memories from their old tennis days washed over him. It wasn't all unpleasant, but that last day always managed to push through and to the forefront of his thoughts.

"Still wearing your jacket on your shoulders, hmmm? So cool, Seichii."

Yukimura gave his most winning smile to the speaker, not taking his eyes off the tape.

"I'm always cool, Kuranosuke."

The other man sat next to him on the bench, stretching his long legs out as he slouched.

"I convinced the coach to move me down to third singles. Were you able to do the same?"

The child of God took out a pair of scissors to cut the excess tape. He examined the handle carefully and gave his racquet a few twists before he was satisfied. It was good enough.

He turned to his friend, eyebrows raised.

"Ah, I forgot. I'm sorry. Looks like you'll be playing Sanada."

Shiraishi's hands dropped to his sides and he seemed to liquify.

"Noooo....."

Just before he fell off the bench, Yukimura began to laugh.

"Alright, alright, yes. I'm playing you."

"Mmm Ecstasy."

Shiraishi suddenly retrieved his bones and stood.

"Do you want to warm up, oh spectacular child of God?"

The other man snorted.

"Fuck you," he said with a grin, "show me your perfect tennis."

The bible took his place on the opposite side of the court and tapped his bandaged arm.

"I prefer to play for fun now."

He shimmered for a moment before settling onto the balls of his feet. His eyes shone as he smiled mischievously, waiting for the captain to start.

Yukimura raised an eyebrow at his friend.  He hit the ball to begin the warm-up rally.

"...you didn't... did you?"

Shiraishi just smiled and returned the ball.

"Really? Kura-chan. Are you serious?"

Yukimura put a little more force in the ball, driving it towards the baseline and Shiraishi's feet. The other man moved flawlessly and returned the ball easily.

"You're kidding me Kura! Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

He put a slice on the ball to throw his friend off balance, but Shiraishi returned it without a wasted move. His grin grew larger.

"Isn't it a nice surprised Yukimura-sama?"

His laugh echoed across the court.

Yukimura chuckled as well. It would be more of a match than he expected.

They rallied for a few minutes before both men felt sufficiently warm. The former captain bent over and let his arms stretch down to his toes, jacket still in place.

His shadow had grown smaller as the sun reached the midsky. Blue today. It was so blue and clear. The weather was perfect for tennis, cool, with a very, very slight breeze.

He stood straight and closed his eyes, gathering a deep inhale to clear his thoughts. Now was not the time to think about Niou or everything that'd happened with Rikkaidai. He pushed out the air he had been holding. After a moment, he inhaled again, focusing on the match that would probably prove to be harder than anticipated. Feeling his breath swirling through his body, he purposefully pushed his energy through every bit of his core. Silently, he said a small prayer, thanking the world and God that he was still alive, let alone that he was still able to play tennis.

With a loud sigh, he let out the breath he'd been holding and walked towards the court. Throwing his jacket onto the bench, he gave his racquet a twist and took his place at the baseline.

On the other side, Shiraishi readjusted his bandages and stretched his shoulders. He gave a small wave to the doubles pair on the court across from them, then turned his focus to Yukimura, taking his place on the baseline.

It was really just a practice match since Rikkaidai University was ranked far above the other no name school, but a most of the other players on the team had gathered to watch. Yukimura was legendary, but moreover, they'd yet to play a school that even tested Shiraishi's abilities. The universities in their division were mostly all academically focused schools and none could support an excellent tennis program-- not like Rikkaidai.

The only team members that weren't able to watch right now were the other doubles pairs, and coincidentally the only people that Yukimura cared watched. Right now, they would be playing a match against Marui and Jakal in doubles 1.

The Rikkaidai captain shook his head slightly, trying to refocus on his own game. He didn't really enjoy the fact that he was going to wipe Shiraishi of his senses, but it was simply Yukimura's play style-- nothing to be done about it. But, this pinnacle of perfection thing could really be trouble if Shiraishi wasn't bluffing.

The match began and the two men were pretty evenly matched. Long rallies and stroke for stroke, with the only points coming from well placed winners or exceptional shots.

Sweat was beginning to bead on Yukimura's brow despite it only being two all. Each point was taking a very, very long time. But at least they were only playing a proset, Yukimura thought, stretching for another well-aimed baseline drive.

"Hey, Yukimura-sama. Let's turn this up a little huh? Our guests have finally arrived."

"Cut the Yukimura-sama shit, Kuranosuke."

Yukimura was about to continue when he noticed who was standing at the fence now. His words left him.

Fuji stood, arms folded at midcourt. The collar of his uniform was popped as usual, but his eyes were wide open. His hair was slightly matted against his head from sweat. Next to him, his partner stood out of breath. Niou had shaved his face for the match today, but the shadow had already begun to creep in. He had already put his hooded sweatshirt back on and his hands were pushed in his pockets. There was a small smirk on both men's faces.

Fuji waved at him amicably.

So fast.

"We finished early so we could watch you, Seichii."

"And me, Fuji," Shiraishi called with a grin.

"Puri," Niou shouted. Marui sat on the ground next to him, obviously exhausted.

Yukimura took a moment to readjust his strings. He suddenly looked very ominous, like a white flame. It took him a moment before he spoke and when he did, his voice was like ice.

"So you were stalling Kura?"

Shiraishi involuntarily shivered, and with a gulp he responded.

"Ah, that. It's nothing really."

Yukimura eyed him, his glare penetrating.

"A match should be taken seriously."

His friend rubbed the back of his head with his bandaged arm, then bowed.

"I'm sorry, Seiichi. Please, let's continue seriously."

And with that, the familiar energy began to swirl around him. The thought of playing against that kind of skill made a smile breakthrough Yukimura's cold expression.

"A new kind of perfect tennis," Fuji said through the fence to Yukimura.

"Ecstasy," added Niou.

Suddenly, the match had begun again. Shiraishi glowed with the sheer enjoyment of his tennis playing and Yukimura seemed to put a spell on everyone watching with his fluid movements.

"He's just too graceful. It's unnatural," Fuji said with a smile.

"Puri," Niou put his grey hood over his head. The genius might have noticed a small blush, but didn't mention it.

Their play was brilliant to watch. Yukimura would hit a cross court winner that Shiraishi would somehow manage to get to, only to return it with an insane dropshot. Yukimura would somehow manage to get the drop shot and lob it over Shiraishi who had come into poach. Then he would miraculously turn on his heels and return the lob just before its second bounce--it was insane and it continued like that for each point.

Towards the middle of the third hour, Shiraishi's light began to flicker. subtly at first, but more and more noticeably. It seemed the Rikkaidai buchou's special skill was slowly extinguishing his friend's tennis. After the game ended, the set was tied 8 to 8. Each point had gone into deuce and countless advantages. The other players had already finished their matches (the coaches decided to play them when the score was only 3-3 after an hour). Rikkaidai had already won and the two friends were the only ones left.

Shiraishi sat heavily on the bench, leaning on his elbows. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing down.

"Oy, Kura," Niou called suddenly, "Don't kill yourself over this, eh."

Shiraishi looked up from the bench. Sweat was dripping from his face and his eyes were lidded. He had never had to stay in Muga for so long-- his hands were beginning to shake.

Fuji put his hand on his partner's shoulder and Niou took a step back. The trickster ran his hand nervously along his stubble.

"Always Victorious!" came the sudden call from Sanada. The other Rikkaidai members suddenly broke into a cheer.

"Asshole," Fuji mumbled, keeping his hand on his friend incase Niou decided to go shut said stoic asshole up. Instead, the silver haired man simply spoke up again.

"I take it back, eh. Take him down Bible man! Then maybe you can help me pull the stick out of Sanada's ass," Niou called again, giving the vice-captain a smirk. The other player growled and pulled down his hat.

Suddenly, Yukimura turned to look at Niou from under the towel draped on his head.

"Thanks for the support, Niou-kun," he looked over at his vice-captain, then back at his friends, "Also, it's pretty deep. I don't think you'll manage"

The other players grew silent, but Niou and Fuji both burst out laughing, with Shiraishi soon joining them. Yukimura smiled his brightest smile and stood, throwing the towel down on the bench. He turned to his opponent as he picked up this racquet.

"I'm exhausted Kura. Let's finish this."

Shiraishi took a deep breath and stood, legs slightly wobbly. He grinned at his friend and the energy began to swirl around him.

"Mmm, ecstasy."

They began the tie break.

Yukimura's serves had a sudden force in them, making him overwhelming for his service points. But, Shiraishi had a newfound accuracy that made every return grueling to get to. With each point, their smiles grew bigger and at some point Kura even began to laugh. And that's when Yukimura took on another aura. He was so brilliant, Niou thought he might have to cover his eyes.

"Like the fuckin' sun, eh Fuji?" he said quietly to his partner.

"He always has to outshine us," Fuji chuckled.

The Child of God stepped up to the service line again. He bounced the ball a few times.

"It's not easy for me to enjoy tennis this much. Thank you Kura."

The Rikkai captain pushed his hair from his eyes and lit up the court with his brilliant smile. He tossed the ball and began his serve. On seeing that warm smile, Shiraishi knew he was done for. The ball kicked violently as it hit the court and he barely got a racquet on it.

The next point was utterly Yukimura's and Shiraishi sat on the court in exhaustion. He leaned heavily on his hands splayed out behind him and had his legs stretched out in front of him. He looked like he could fall asleep sitting up. His light hair was plastered to his forehead and his shirt soaked through with sweat.

"Good game, Mr. Child of God. But you'll have to come to me if you want to shake my hand." The rakish grin on his face spoke of a slight disappointment in the loss, but a thrilling and exhausting game nonetheless.

After the match, Yukimura and Buunta stayed behind and the Rikkaidai team headed back home. Sanada growled something about betrayal and honor, but the rest of the team was happy enough with just the victory and didn't seem to mind.Yanagi even waved happily at them before they left the courts.

Shiraishi emerged from the showers before Yukimura; Niou and Buntaa laughed to themselves. Their former (and current) captain always enjoyed long (very long) showers after matches.

"You'll probably have to remind him we're waiting here, conman," Marui said to him through a piece of candy he was chewing. Fuji and Shiraishi were examining a nearby bush outside of the locker room. Buntaa was sitting crosslegged on the grass, reading a manga.

Niou just rolled his eyes and put down his bag, making his way back into the locker room.

It was empty save for their friend and Niou made his way through the middle aisle. He wasn't sure whether or not he actually wanted to catch a glimpse of Yukimura's ass.

"Yo boss," he called. Instead of a response, all he heard was the hiss of the water hitting the tiles and a gentle humming.

"I guess he still likes to sing in the shower," he mumbled making his way back to the shower area. A small white brick wall separated the lockers from an open shower area.

Niou rest his forearms arms on the top of the fence, elbows to the side. He leaned down and rest his chin on his hands. If he were honest with himself, he really didn't mind the view.

"Yo boss," he said again. This time, Yukimura looked up from the stream of hot water.

"Oh Niou-kun, you scared me shitless."

Niou smirked and licked his lips in the lewdest way he could manage, "I like what I see captain. The other guys sent me in. You ready?"

"I'm not your captain anymore," Yukimura responded quietly, closing his eyes and rinsing his hair one last time. He tried to ignore the way Niou's tongue had traced his familiar lips. He'd imagined him doing that in a few strange dreams over the years. When he looked back, Niou was gone.

Yukimura turned off the water. He sighed deeply and wrapped his towel around his waist. At least Niou hadn't seen what he was doing earlier in the shower, and whose name he whispered.

The captain rolled his eyes at himself and sighed again as he made his way to his bag.

"Why all the deep sighs?"

The Rikkai captain nearly jumped out of his skin for the second time. Niou was laying on the bench, with one leg dangling off the side. He had one earbud in and his hands were in his sweatshirt pocket. But his eyes were closed.

Yukimura was somehow both grateful and disappointed for being given his privacy.

"Oh, you know how much I love sighing. It's a hobby."

Niou snorted a laugh, still not looking at Yukimura.

A sudden thought occurred to the former captain.

"Niou-kun, have you and Fuji ever...?

"Something you've thought a lot about eh?" he responded, unmoving, but his smirk grew a bit more smug.

"Hah. You wish. I was just curious."

"Sure, sure," Niou's smile grew softer before he continued,"Well, Fujiko isn't gay, so no, not him."

"Not him..." Yukimura was surprised to find that the warmer small irked him for some reason and also he had just realized how interested he was in this topic. He had already stopped moving, focusing all his attention on Niou.

Shit. he thought and continued to dress. Feeling jealous of Fuji, wanting to know about Niou's love life--pretty ridiculous.

The captain spared his friend a glance before pulling on his boxer-briefs and reaching into his bag for his jeans...which weren't there. His eyebrow twitched.

"Looking for something, boss?" Niou grinned, putting his hands behind his head. Yeah, he was definitely using Yukimura's pants as a pillow.

"Hand them over, Niou."

He opened one eye, and smirked at his former captain.

"But you look good in shorts, eh."

Yukimura folded his arms and stood next to the bench. He wasn't ashamed of his body; he knew it was a pretty damn nice one. But he was a bit flustered having Niou's gaze on him, even if he wasn't going to show it.

"Jeans."

He extended his hand.

"For a price."

Niou closed his eyes again and turned up his music; Yukimura's eye twitched, but he still smiled placidly. It was always hard to maintain his calm and charming demeanor around this guy. With another sigh, he finally asked.

"What's the price?"

Niou's lips twitched.

"Puri."

Yukimura moved closer to Niou and his jeans.

"That's not an answer," he sighed. He turned to find a shirt in his duffle bag. Patiently, he dressed his top half while Niou tapped his foot in time to his music. Eventually, Yukimura had no more clothes he could put on besides his pants (and shoes but that would be awkward...shoes and no pants...weird), so he nudged Niou with his knee.

"Price."

Niou sat up, holding the pants between his hands. Yukimura once again suppressed the heat that was sure to fill his face; the trickster's face was a little too close to Yukimura's crotch for the captain's comfort.

The silver-haired man rubbed the stubble on his chin for a moment, eyes full of mischief.

"Open-ended, yo."

Yukimura knew that entering an open-ended deal with Niou was a terrible, if not the worst possible idea that anyone could ever have. He narrowed his gaze; Niou's smirk broadened.

"Redeemable at anytime."

Yukimura's eye twitched. He knew his only choices were to make the deal, wrestle Niou for the pants, or walk out of the locker room in just his boxers (he refused to put his sweaty tennis clothes back on). Well, boxers weren't an option because he was the captain at a prestigious university and he just didn't do that. And wrestling with Niou would likely lead to some physical reactions that even he (child of God or not) wouldn't be able to control.

"Fine," he said, trying to make his tone sound as displeased-yet-still-cool as possible.

Niou flicked his jeans to him with a chuckle.

"Ah boss, you used to be more difficult that this."

Yukimura rolled his eyes.

"I can't really assign you laps anymore, can I?"

"Sure you can boss."

Yukimura's lips quirked, but he stopped himself from laughing. But something in the way Niou spoke felt like he was really saying, "I'd do anything for you boss."

The Rikkai captain pushed ridiculous thoughts like that as far away from his brain as he could. Niou stretched and stood to wait for him.

Yukimura could help but feel the weight of the gaze as it watched him pull on his pants. It felt like it was scouring every inch of him, gathering information. He suppressed a shiver and smoothly slipped into his jeans.

"Make it legit."

Niou held out his hand and Yukimura took it. He willed himself not to react to the feeling of Niou's fingers and palm pressed against his own. Or, pull the other man closer. They stayed like that for a few moments longer than normal before Yukimura finally pulled away.

"They've been waiting too long," he said shouldering his bag. He moved past his friend to leave and Niou's eyes flashed.

"Puri."


	10. Happy Birthday, man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unnecessary birthday sex. But with who?

"Masaharu."

Niou looked up from the book he was reading to look at Fuji. The genius wore a smile that for sure meant trouble. Big trouble.

In fact, everything about him meant trouble at the moment. He was slouched very casually against the kitchen counter. The flannel shirt he wore was left unbuttoned and his jeans were slung low across his hips.

Niou turned back to his book quickly, knowing looking at Fuji like that was like looking into the sun. Something that hot was not good for his eyes or his health.

He heard Fuji's footsteps approaching and tried to be his nonchalant self; it was always hard to do against Fuji's attacks.

"Masa."

This time the trickster steeled himself, and kept his eyes on his book. He even tried to read aloud the words in his head so as not to be distracted by his best friend. Ever since Fuji had found out that Niou was gay in high school, he had always done this.

 

_Eiji pouted his lips in thought before speaking._

_"So what you're saying is, you like guys and girls?"_

_Ah, this was a bit embarrassing, even for him, Niou thought. He was usually the guy who didn't give a shit about what other people thought. But, these two, they were his best friends. Better than anyone he'd been friends with at Rikkaidai even. And since all the shit that had happened there, he was actually a little worried how they would react. He sighed and answered._

_"No, Eiji. I just like guys...no girls really."_

_"When did you realize?" Fuji calmly asked. His brown eyes were open and focused on his friend. His mind seemed to be working to sort through something._

_"Maybe after our nationals match," he smirked, knowing that Fuji would figure it out quite quickly. Before his friends really understood what he was saying, he wanted to be high. He lit the spliff he'd just finished rolling and inhaled deeply. They were in their special place behind the school; though, no one would be coming this late anyway. After school activities were mostly over for the day._

_"Wait..."_

_Surprisingly, it was Eiji who spoke first. Niou inhaled deeply again._

_"You liked Fujiko!?"_

_Niou laughed and grinned, teeth holding the spliff. Then he shrugged as he offered Fuji the smoke, searching his expression for any signs of disgust. He tried desperately to keep the tension from showing on his face or in his posture._

_Fuji took the offered joint and rolled it between his fingertips for a moment. He eyed Niou carefully and took a smoke, face serious. Only after a few moments, and exhaling did he speak._

_"Masaharu, I don't know if I feel comfortable about it," he took another drag slowly and let the smoke linger before he exhaled and spoke again._

_"But really, I felt the same way too that time."_

_Eiji's jaw literally dropped and he pulled the spliff from Fuji's fingers. He put it straight into his mouth, still wide eyed._

_Niou was too taken aback to speak. He couldn't even hope to move a muscle when Fuji moved closer to him. The tensai gripped the front of Niou's shirt and pulled him closer. He leaned up until Niou could feel his breath on his lips. Then he suddenly stopped._

_Their eyes met and the trickster's heart skipped a beat._

_But instead of kissing him, Fuji let his lips move slowly to Niou's ear, never touching him, but always so close that Niou thought he could feel them. Fuji whispered, sending electricity through the other young man's nerves._

_"Just kidding."_

_He released Niou's shirt as the trickster suddenly pushed him away with a half-assed growl. Fuji was laughing so hard, it looked like he might fall over. In fact, he did eventually have to sit down and Eiji followed him soon after. Both lunatics were laughing so hard that tears streamed down their cheeks._

_Although Niou acted hurt, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His two best friends obviously gave two shits whether he were straight or gay._

_With a a snarl, he leaned down and took the spliff from Eiji._

_"Aw, stop messin' around, Masa. You know it's funny, oy!" Eiji said, laughing through each syllable. He put his hand on Fuji's shoulder and buried his head there._

_"Yeah, yeah," Niou said, but his real smile replaced his scowl. He had the nicest smile when he set it free._

Since that time, every once and awhile, Fuji would unleash his intense sexiness on Niou just to see the trickster in self-control battling agony--Fuji was sadistic like that. Moreover, he took great pleasure in seeing the confident and carefree conman shaken up a little.

That smile that Niou saw now, was one of those smiles. He shuddered again for good measure as Fuji plucked his book away.

His smile was placid and his eyes were closed again. He had leaned in so his face was only inches from Niou's.

"Masaharu, are you listening to me?"

"I am now," Niou tried his best at a smirk, but his heart had already begun beating faster.

Fuji set the book down carefully while speaking.

"It's your birthday."

"I was aware."

Fuji's smile didn't waver as he turned back to face his friend. He put his hands on Niou's knees and rest on them, still standing, but bent over so his face was even closer to the trickster's than before.  He licked his lips slowly before asking.

"What kind of gift would you like?"

"Oy, Syuusuke, I know--"

"Anything you want Masa."

The tensai closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Niou's. For a moment, the birthday boy was lost. He gave in to his base desires and met the kiss warmly. Parting Fuji's lips with his tongue, he wrestled with Fuji's own tongue hungrily. He reached a hand up and tangled his fingers in the brown hair he loved so much.The kiss intensified; he bit and sucked on Fuji's lip teasingly. The tensai returned the favors in kind. Niou hummed quietly and moved his other hand to grip Fuji's shoulder firmly.

Basically, he kissed the crap out of him and it seemed Fuji was more than willing.

After what seemed like a very pleasant eternity to Niou, Fuji pulled away slowly, offering one last, loving peck on the lips before he stood up.

He wiped a little spit from the corner of his mouth with his thumb and sucked it gently. Niou nearly moaned. He had already gotten hard from the unexpected lip lock.

Fuji's eyes were have lidded with lust when he spoke.

"A birthday kiss from your sexy best friend," he grinned and began to laugh.

"I hate you Fuji," Niou voice nearly caught in his throat. It was a bit easier not to laugh with his current erectile state.

"Not that I'm not a bit turned on, because I'll admit that I am, but you know me. I'm not gay. Hmm. Though maybe for you" --he flashed a wicked grin and a wink--"But, I'm getting sidetracked," Fuji gestured towards Niou's room. "We also got you another surprise."

At the we, Niou raised his eyebrow before getting off the couch. As he headed to his room, he glanced over his shoulder at his friend.

"It was good, eh?"

Fuji smiled, "Very. If only I were gay."

"I could make you if I really tried," Niou grinned and waved as he went into the hallway, quietly adding, "Thanks, Syuusuke."

"Sometimes I wish I were gay," Fuji huffed to himself with a small chuckle. He smoothed out his clothes and went to the fridge for a much needed beer. On his way, he turned on his phone and made a much needed call.

"Are you free, Mina? Let's go on a date," he downed the beer in one go and grabbed his keys, "In your bedroom."

At the same time, Niou opened his door and closed it just as quickly, leaning on the inside trying to adjust to the darkness in his room.

"Eiji, how did you make it so dark in here?"

"Oy!" came the shout from somewhere in the middle. "How did you know it was me?"

He chuckled from the depths of his stomach and moved towards the source of the voice.

"Of course it's you."

"Hmmm," the voice had moved slightly, "we got you some condoms and lube."

Suddenly two strong hands slid from his abdomen to his chest and a firm body pressed against his back.

"I can help you try them out," the acrobat whispered in his ear. His lips gently trailed up the back of Niou's neck and kissed him at the base of his jaw. The conman shivered and felt the familiar prick of the goosebumps on his skin.

"Puri."

Unlike most people would, Eiji just chuckled at the response. "Neko's understand stuff like that," he once said. His hands moved down to Niou's waist, but before they settled, the other man gently tugged at his right hand. He pressed Eiji's palm to his lips softly before replacing his it and covering both arms with is own.

It's silent for a moment. Eiji's lips rested on the top of Niou's shoulder. Finally, after the quiet has stretched such a long way, Eiji adjusted himself so his chin replaced his lips and spoke slowly. His voice had a slight hint of regret, but not quite sadness in it.

"How come we can't be in love, Masa?"

Niou turned around and held Eiji's hands, dragging him towards the bed without speaking.

"It would make life so much easier, wouldn't it?" the redhead continued thoughtfully, letting himself be pulled in slow jolts forward. He heard the quiet creak of Niou's bed as the other man sat and their knees touched. He still didn't speak.

Eiji let out a sigh."We could live happily ever after somewhere with our sadistic friend who's probably plotting murders or something in the other room."

Two firm thumbs began rubbing circles in his hips purposefully. The acrobat's breath hitched slightly and he laughed.

"Oy, you listening?"

The thumbs hooked in his underwear and began to pull them off, fingernails dragging lightly along his skin. The elastic waistband caught slightly on his hard member and it popped up comically after being pulled out of place. Niou let out a soft chuckle (his eyes had adjusted to the dark). And he slowly lifted a hand and wrapped around the soft skin, stroking gently at first.

"Masa..." Eiji mumbled, suddenly not caring that the other man hadn't answered him. When he felt Niou's mouth envelop him, he really didn't care about the conversation they weren't having. His fingers would themselves into in the silver hair. His hips bucked gently, and Niou obliged, taking him in further.

The acrobat's tangled fingers clenched and unclenched, fisting his hair none too gently trying not to move too insistently. What Niou didn't take into his mouth, he held firmly in his fist, twisting as he stroked. He dragged his flat tongue from base to tip, letting it dart out over the weeping slit and eliciting another throaty moan from his friend. Eiji's eyes were squeezed shut and his head tipped back.

Niou took him deeply into his warm mouth again and sucked intently. There was a popping sound when Niou finally pulled his lips from the acrobat. Eiji almost laughed, but instead just groaned at the sudden change in sensation, cock throbbing.

One elegant hand slid down Eiji's thigh and cupped him gently under the knee, pulling it onto the bed. Knowing his intentions, the redhead moved to straddle his friend. He grabbed the new bottle of lube from the nightstand and squirted some into his palm. His fingers wrapped predatorially around Niou's extremely hard cock as he rubbed the cool slick liquid on slowly.

The silver haired man slipped his hands onto Eiji's ass, kneading the flesh hungrily. His teeth sunk gently into the redhead's collar bone before he trailed sloppy kisses up his neck.

"Mmm. Faster Eiji," he mumbled, lips not leaving his friend's skin, "Don't wanna wait, please."

Eiji smiled as he quickly prepared, slipping slick fingers to stretch himself; it wasn't that often that Niou said please. He lifted Niou's face and kissed him deeply, slowly and rest his hands on the other man's shoulders. Quickly reaching down, he put the tip of Niou at his entrance and began to push down, fire burning through the stretch of his taut muscles.

"Nnn..Fuck. Neko."

Niou's hands shook as he strained not to push Eiji's hips down. His fingers dug into the other man's bones instead.

Eji pulled away from the kiss and bit down gently on his friend's neck, and inhaled, trying to relax. As usual, Niou was bigger than the other man remembered and as usual Eiji hadn't done this in awhile. He groaned as Niou's hips began to shift ever so slightly.

"Sorry...I just..." Niou huffed. Sentence unfinished, he moved his hands to cup Eiji's ass and pulled at the firm cheeks, pressing kisses to the redhead's chest. He strained against his own body's insistent tug.

A bolt of arousal shot from Eiji's stomach through his heart and into his throat when he looked at his friend. He growled as he suddenly pushed himself downwards, taking Niou all the way in in one swift, aching movement.

Niou was completely overwhelmed by the unexpected heat. His own guttural growl answered Eiji's and his hands kneaded the redhead's ass hungrily.

Eiji wasn't sure if he was in pain or pleasure, but he quickly decided it was both as Niou began to move, hitting that spot with every shallow thrust.

He planted his hands on Niou's shoulders and pushed him down. The trickster moved them backwards and more firmly onto the bed-- he knew what Eiji wanted.

When they were in safely in the tangle of sheets, the redhead began to ride him. His hips rolled fluidly as he lifted off of Niou's cock, almost coming completely off, but never quite. He slid back down, hard, and repeated.

"God, Eiji," Niou hummed. He bit his lip and moved his hands to Eiji's hips, using his grip to pull himself upwards as Eiji came down.

"Fuck yes. Fuck me, Masa," Eiji groaned.

The pair began to move faster and more desperately until Niou felt the undeniable tension in his balls and abdomen.

He moved one of his hands to begin working on Eiji's needy cock. (He had waited this long, knowing that it would be too much for his long time lover.)

As expected, Eiji gasped at the well-timed strokes and came over both of their stomachs. He collapsed onto Nious chest, but kept riding through his own orgasm. The sudden tightness pushed Niou over the edge shortly after, juices sputtering into the condom he wore. He deftly removed and tied it, throwing it smoothly into the rubbish bin.

Eiji shifted to the side of Niou and splayed out on his chest. His right arm and right leg were slung over the trickster lazily.

"Mmmm, Masa. Happy birthday."

Niou grinned with his eyes closed and absently ran his fingers through his friend's hair.

"To me, or to you, eh?"

"Both, baka," Eiji laughed as he half-heartedly swatted at the silver haired man. After a moment, Niou heard the redhead's gentle snore softly drift his way and his own eyes fluttered shut.

He woke up an hour later, realizing that his arm had fallen asleep in the most uncomfortable way.

"Hnn. Eiji, wake up."

He gently pushed his friend and freed his arm. The pins and needles rushed the skin.

Eiji smacked his lips and stretched his long, muscular arms and legs. He turned over to his side, away from Niou.

"Oy, Eiji, we gotta get up."

"No," came the very blunt response. Eiji curled into a ball and pulled the covers over his head.

"C'mon," Niou chuckled, poking the mountain of blankets that were his friend.

"Why?" the redhead grumbled sleepily, muffled by the layers of cloth.

"Can I ask you something?" Niou began, "Ah...actually nevermind eh. Just sleep."

"Oy," Eiji pushed the covers off in a flash, though he still looked groggy, "So talky today, huh? Is this about that ridiculously nicknamed captain of yours?"

"Puri," Niou said with a smile. Ridiculous nickname.

"You like him still, or what?"

"Still?" Niou raised an eyebrow and Eiji rolled over to face him.

"C'mon. Me and Fujiko aren't dumb, ya know? We figured it out awhile ago. Well, we kind of just guessed really. Spill it, man."

"Yeah, it's about him," Niou draped his arm over his eyes.

"Can't seem to shake it?"

"Doesn't seem like I want to shake it," the trickster mumbled.

"Well then don't give up!" Eiji all but shouted. Suddenly, he was straddling Niou's stomach. "Oy, Masa. If you want him, go get him. Call him today. You're a fucking irresistible conman."

Niou's lips twitched, but he didn't move.

"Puri."

"But if this is going to be it..." There was a sudden force on his midsection and Niou was flipped over, laying on his stomach. Two sure hands pulled his hips up, so he was on all fours. "Let's do it right."

Though he couldn't see him, Niou heard the devilish smirk on the other man's face.

He yelped in surprise and twisted the sheets in his hands as a warm tongue lapped eagerly at his balls.

"Shit, Eiji."

The tongue stopped for a moment.

"I hope not," came the cheeky response before the tongue moved higher. It traced a circle around his puckered pink hole before pushing itself through the tight ring of muscles.

"God, Eiji," Niou growled.

"That's right. I'm not the son; I'm the father."

Unable to voice a response to the ridiculous comment, Niou collapsed onto his elbows as the tongue delved further. After what felt like a heavenly eternity, two slick fingers replaced the miracle muscle and began to stretch an ache into him. The redhead placed teasing kisses at the small of his back.

"I'm going to fuck you 'till you scream my name, Masa," Eiji laughed hoarsly as he pressed his tip through the tight ring of muscle.

"Puri," Niou managed in a gritted response.

His smile was just as big as Eiji's.

 


	11. that Time

I'm calling in that debt. Come over, ASAP.

was the text that Yukimura had received from Niou about 30 minutes ago. He'd hopped on a train almost immediately to make his way to the apartment. Though he dreaded what kind of ridiculous task or stunt Niou would ask of him, he revelled in the chance to be around the trickster again. And secretly, he hoped it would be something lewd, like in a yaoi manga.

He sighed to himself at his ridiculousness as he entered the building, Life was not a boy love story, and he knew that. He also knew that sometimes people just didn't get second chances. And with that thought, the ride in the grey elevator became quite gloomy.

The door was cracked slightly open. He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and knocked. It instantly flew open.

In front of him, Eiji blinked twice, seemingly puzzled. He wore only a small pair of briefs.

"Yukimura-kun?"

This was not was the captain was expecting.

"Ah-- Kikumaru-kun. How are you?"

"Call me Eiji; everyone else does."

The redhead leaned against the door frame for a moment sporting a huge grin. Yukimura quickly recovered his composure.

"I'll try. I'm just not used to it."

"You will be," Eiji muttered under his breath. Yukimura raised an eyebrow and the redhead quickly continued.

"You here to see Fujiko?" he turned his head back quickly, and began to shout, "Oy, Fuji--"

"No," Yukimura quickly put his hand on the redhead's shoulder effectively stopping him. "I'm here to see Niou-kun."

"Masa?" Eiji feigned surprised.

Somehow, the way the other man said that name irked Yukimura. So much so that his eye twitched ever so slightly. That also happened to be when he realized that Eiji reeked of Niou's scent. His smile turned a few degrees colder-- below zero.

"Yes," he managed to say without grinding his teeth. Eiji laughed and motioned the other man into the house energetically.

"C'mon in!" he closed the door and called out, "Masa! That captain of yours is here! The one who forgot your birthday!"

He turned back to Yukimura with a wink and said quickly, "it was his birthday yesterday."

Without waiting for a response, he moved quickly into the kitchen, rummaging in the fridge. Yukimura tried to make his way into the living room, but couldn't bring to move past the entry area. His eyes focused on the redhead in the kitchen and he felt himself smoldering with an anger that he didn't want to explain to himself. He was so focused that he didn't notice the other man until he heard a familiar voice.

"Yo, boss."

Niou had stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. A towel was slung loosely around his waist and he was drying his hair with another one. His chest was more muscular than Yukimura remembered and had a small patch of hair between his well-defined pecs. Very un-japanese of him.

Niou grinned and gestured to the couch,"Have a seat; I just need to grab a few things from my room."

When he closed his room door, Yukimura let his breath escape.

"Shit," he whispered.

"Hmm?" called Eiji from the kitchen. He was opening the two bottles. They gave a nice pop as their cap's came loose. The opener fell heavily into its drawer and the redhead pushed it closed with his hip.

Yukimura fingered the thorns the cactus Fuji kept by the door, trying to ignore him.

Just as Eiji made it to the hall, Niou re-emerged. As he passed his friend, the redhead stopped him.

"Last one," Eiji whispered, quietly enough that Yukimura didn't hear.

Despite the beer in his hands, he was able to wrap his arms around Niou's neck and pull him into a kiss. He meant it to be a chaste kiss, just to mess with Yukimura's head, but as soon as their lips made contact that changed. He suddenly realized this probably would be their last kiss and sent his tongue out to taste the sweetness of the trickster's lips. He wanted to remember this flavour.

Niou wasn't terribly surprised that Eiji would pull something like this, but his own realization that this could be it, did surprise him. He wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist and pulled him closer, doing his best to memorize the feeling of Eiji against his mouth.

He knew it might be a little strange, but he wasn't ashamed to know that he would miss this even if they weren't in love. And he knew Eiji felt the same.

When he finally pulled away, Eiji's eyes were dilated with lust.

"Well shit, Masa," he mumbled and grinned.

"Puri," Niou mouthed quietly.

Quickly, Eiji turned his head back towards Yukimura (who had just stood there silently) and flashed a V while still holding the beers.

"See you soon, Yukimura-chan!"

The former captain was frozen for a moment as he watched Eiji slip into Fuji's room. He felt like turning around and leaving immediately.

You don't have any right to be upset, he chided himself. With an inaudible deep breath, he walked through the living room, ignoring the couch, only stopping as he reached the window.

Yukimura realized that he wanted to speak to Niou. No. Correction. He needed to say what he'd been thinking about all this time. Even if Niou were with Eiji now, it didn't matter. He suddenly had the feeling his chest was about to burst.

Niou went to the kitchen, undoubtedly for a beer. He called out while he was still fishing around for his drink.

"Oy boss, if you're wondering, we're not not together. I mean, Eiji and I. We're just friends."

For some reason, the knot in Yukimura's stomach relaxed a bit. But his tone was as uninterested as ever-- he wasn't going to let Niou know he'd felt jealous over that.

"That's fine, Niou-kun."

Niou sighed as he closed the fridge. For a moment, he hesitated, but then he seemed to steel himself before he spoke again.

"So boss you're probably--"

"That time Niou...I didn't know what to say," the captain of captains turned to look at his friend and blurted out the rest of what he'd wanted to say, "I was young and I was cruel. I'm sorry." --Well, let's be honest. Yukimura doesn't really blurt things (he just felt as if he did), so the small speech still came out relatively slow and measured.

 

Niou blinked a few times at the sudden outburst, and his newly opened beer was frozen to his lips. He smirked out of habit as he was once again caught off guard by his friend. But his mind quickly wandered back to that time.

 

_The locker room was empty. The regulars had all begun their laps already, but Niou kun had lingered. The captain always waited for his team to leave to the courts first; today he sent Sanada and Yanagi away first as he watched his ace slowly, oh so slowly, prepare to go home. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the lockers._

_"You didn't play your best this morning Masaharu. I expect this afternoon will be better."_

_Suddenly, he felt a presence hovering in front of him.  Niou stood, back straight, waiting for the captain to open his eyes._

_"Did you hear--"_

_"Yukimura, I like you. Please, go out with me," the unpredictable teen looked straight into his friend's eyes and waited for an answer. The captain's eyes snapped open. He stood quickly, completely taken back. This was one thing he had never expected from the trickster. In fact, it was likely just that- a trick. He began to laugh._

_"Masaharu, you almost fooled me. But, I'm not so naive, am I?" he winked smiled his casual smile, "Now, come on. Laps."_

_"No."_

_The intensity of the words struck Yukimura. Niou-kun stared intently at him, eyes heavy and serious._

_"No?" the captain's eyes flashed. No was not an answer he was accustomed to hearing._

_The other boy reached out and grabbed his wrist._

_"This is not a trick, buchou," he pulled him roughly forward and kissed him square on the lips. The kiss had been strong and demanding and definitely not a joke. Yukimura pushed him back._

_"Niou-kun. I'm your captain and I'm your friend, but I will not be your boyfriend. I'm sorry, but that's disgusting." With that, Yukimura turned around and walked towards the door, "Laps are starting."_

_He pushed passed Yagyuu, whose eyes flashed in a question that he quickly found the answer too. Niou-kun stood unmoving in the center of the locker room._

_"Yagyuu, hurry up and bring your partner," Yukimura hid the shaking in his voice well._

_"Sure boss," Yagyuu said quietly and turned towards Niou. The captain only heard a snippet of their conversation before he was out of earshot._

_"Baka, how could you?"_

_"I just needed to know and I needed to show you."_

_"You selfish son of a bitch."_

_Yukimura shook his head, trying to free himself of this new memory, and began to jog towards the court._

 

"Neh, Seiichi, it's fine. You were right to say no," Niou smirked and handed his friend a beer as he entered the living room. The silver haired young man slouched on to the well-worn sofa and put up his feet, "Sit down boss, you're making me nervous."

Yukimura visibly relaxed, a tension leaving his shoulders that he hadn't known was there. The silence between them was once again comfortable. He sat in the recliner at the corner of the couch and put his feet onto the coffee table.

Suddenly a deep chuckle erupted from Niou's chest. He laughed so hard there were tears in his eyes. Yukimura stared at him intently waiting for him to explain, but the trickster simply continued to chuckle.

"What's so funny? Are you going to tell me what I'm here for, Niou-kun?"

The other man quieted down and looked his friend in the eyes. He seemed to be weighing in on whether he wanted to say something or not. Finally, he let out a small sigh.

"Masaharu, Seiichi. You call me Masaharu, remember?" The trickster's green eyes held a gentle, but teasing look. Actually, they always had that look when met by Yukimura's eyes.

"Masaharu. Yes, of course I remember...I just wasn't sure if I could still call you that."

The two drank their beers quietly. Niou began to chuckle quietly, and after a moment it turned into an outright laugh.

"Masaharu, why were you laughing?"

"Puri."

"That's not a real answer, my friend."

The silver haired man stood up, having already finished his beer. He sauntered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. His voice was slightly muffled as he searched for another beer.

"Seiichi. Think about that day. Ya know, I mean really think about it, eh." Bottles clanked and he searched for the drink he wanted, "ecstasy," he mumbled. A dark ale. He grabbed another for his captain.

That day. Yukimura had pushed it from his mind for a long time. He had tried and failed to not to blame himself completely for Niou leaving the team.

But that day...

"And...?" his eyes followed Niou as the young man returned to his couch.

"Seiichi. How often did I call you Yukimura when we were alone?"

The captain's brow furrowed slightly, "Rarely."

"Never, eh. And when have you ever heard me ask anyone out?"

Yukimura put his feet back onto the ground and shifted his weight to lean his elbows onto his knees. He shook his head in answer. Without his headband, the hair fell into his eyes.

"I'm a little disappointed you didn't notice the difference," Niou-kun looked intently at Yukimura. When there gaze met, the captain found the same teasing eyes staring at his. The look that was quintessentially Niou Masaharu. The look that never wavered. The realization nearly pushed the wind from his chest.

"It wasn't you."

"Nope."

Niou broke out into another unstoppable chuckle. The captain threw himself back into the recliner and groaned.

"Yagyuu."

"Puri."

Yukimura reached behind his back and threw the pillow at his friend.

"That is not an answer."

He leaned back again and put his hands over his eyes. This time the silence lasted longer. The only sound was Niou drinking his beer.

Finally, the captain spoke quietly,

"Then why did you leave?"

"Ah. Gomen Seiichi. Yagyuu told me why he did it. He liked you actually. But he was so embarrassed, eh , so very very embarrassed. And he was my best friend. Even if he was an idiot. I knew he wouldn't last without the team or at another school," Niou waved his hand dismissively, and took a drink instead of finishing his sentence. Yukimura didn't move.

"I missed you, Masaharu."

"Puri."

The captain stood and walked towards the couch, "That's not an answer."

Niou-kun watched him silently.

"So you didn't feel that way?" the voice was soft, but not weak.

The other man took a swig of beer, lips tight. No trace of his usual smirk. Yukimura stepped closer, only inches from the couch now.

"You didn't have to leave." You shouldn't have left.

Niou gazed and him, and spoke, "Would it have been different if it were the real me?"

The other man froze for a moment, then sat on the couch next to Niou. He leaned forward and rest his chin between his hands.

"But it wasn't you. That wasn't how you would have done things."

"Hn. But I heard the confession, Seiichi. Maybe I was just as heartbroken, neh?" he smiled sadly and put his hand on his friend's back.

Yukimura slapped his hand away and snapped, "Do you know how often I thought of you? How much I wished you would come back?"

Barely audibly, he added, "how I wished I could have changed my answer."

Niou replaced his hand on the other's back and his lips twitched into a smile.

"Puri."

"That's not an--"

Niou pulled Yukimura by his collar into a soft kiss.

These were the right lips, the captain thought.

In the heat of the moment, the intense confusion of that day, Yukimura had never realized how wrong the kiss was. Or how unusual the gaze was. But this was right. This was what he always knew it would feel like.

The captain sighed into the soft lips and the hint of tongue. Their gentleness. He should have realized that the other kiss didn't belong to the trickster. His con artist.

The kiss deepened just slightly before the lips pulled away. Both young men huffed, quietly catching their breath.

"Puri," Yukimura mumbled. 


End file.
